Company makes a buck off of blarney

Those who take pride in the wearin’ of the green on this Saint Patrick’s Day may also consider buying some blarney. A wee factory in northwestern Iowa claims to be the world’s only cannery of the elusive product. Mickey Conlon, chair of the Emmetsburg-based St. Patrick’s Association, says they’ve been harvesting blarney and canning the gift of gab since the 1960s and have sold thousands of portions worldwide. He says the cans contain a caution warning that “people have been know to become eloquent for days after only one small sniff”The six-ounce cans cost a dollar each. Conlon warns to use the can’s contents only in small doses. Also available — Blarney Light and Blarney Repellant.Conlon says each canful was squeezed directly from Emmetsburg’s own piece of the actual Blarney Stone from County Cork, Ireland. To order, surf to: www.eyeoniowa.com/StPats/ or write to the St. Patrick’s Association, Emmetsburg, IA 50536. Emmetsburg was named for Robert Emmet, an Irish patriot executed by the British in 1803 during the fight for independence.